Tours through the heart of London

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All posts for the month October, 2012

On Sunday my lovely niece, her two sons & I set sail on the central line, destination Epping. Our quest to catch the Green RT Heritage Routemaster bus from the station at Epping & arrive at North Weald railway station to catch a Heritage train to Ongar!

Here is a photo of the bus, taken by my 5 yrs old nephew. We enjoyed sharing the bus ride experience with the excited families & enthusiasts.

We learnt that the steam engine was unwell & unable to pull our train today – whichput me in mind of my son’s favourite Thomas The Tank Engine book ‘Evil Diesel’. However, the diesel that pulled our carriages seemed fine & we enjoyed the unhurried pace of this heritage line journey.

There were two trains in operation & we changed on to the train that took us to Coopersale. Here the woods were quite magical with the autumnal shades of leaves & ferns. As yet there is no alighting or boarding at this point, so we returned to North Weald in our slam-door carriages. We discussed the ‘Young Ones’ where Vivien put his head out of the window & it got knocked off – a man had his head out of the window at the station, causing the 5yrs old much consternation!

By the end of the second train journey it was time to visit the local Inn. We were all extremely happy to discover that not only did the timber-framed building date to the 15th Century, but was one of the most ancient pubs in Essex! It began life as a late medieval open hall which was replaced in the 1600’s by a two-storey hall block & was extensively reconstructed in 1927. Ships timbers used are now warped with age into odd, slanting angles. It also had wood fires, comfy chairs, cooked meals & real ale – just the job on a chilly Sunday afternoon!

Returning to the story of the Railway line, we discover the line was purchased in 1998 & re-opened & run by volunteers from October 2004. In 2007 it was sold to a private developer who was committed to bringing back steam engines. Ongar station was painted in GER colours (Great Eastern Railway), whilst North Weald was painted in the 1940’s-1960’s LNER/BR (E) colours of Brunswick Green & Cream. (London North Eastern Railway/British Rail – East).

Services were resumed after track re-laying & related works on 25th May 2012.

It is possible to travel on steam-hauled passenger services & diesel shuttle from North Weald to Coopersale Lane on Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays.

Well, this Friday I will be taking a tour from outside the Guildhall Art Gallery for a tour to Spitalfields. We will be taking in a wide variety of architectural gems, so please try to join us. Time period, as ever with the City, extends from 1010 to the present day – so plenty of fascinating buildings & information to learn about!

We reached the London Fruit & Wool Exchange & decided to see exactly what our hero mayor has agreed can be redeveloped (pulled down). This building that was the London Fruit & Wool Exchange takes up the whole block – extending sizeably down Commercial Road, Brushfield Street & Crispin Street. This immediately lends itself to fantastic council housing – possibly for the homeless ( anybody really! ). It is nonsensical to agree to the destruction of this solid & handsome building in the name of commerce. Why can’t the real needs of London be addressed. Do they not recognise that the workers need somewhere to live? This is only part of the issue of wanton destruction. Did you know that there is graffiti in the vaults from people sheltering from the WWII Blitz – this is Londoner’s History that will be obliterated in the name of profits. Someone on my tour suggested that too much of our City of London history & buildings are being destroyed in the name of profit. Sadly, it appears that working class history is easiest destroyed.

P.S. I had wanted to show you a photo of the building before it goes, but the weather was too wet for photography!

This Friday my tour will meet outside Guildhall Art Gallery at 1.30 pm. The tour will last approx. 2 hours & end at Spitalfields Market near LiverpoolStreet station.

If you are unsure whether this is the tour for you, consider the following: Have you ever wondered what that fine building called Holland House that sits behind ‘The Gherkin’ is all about ? Perhaps you looked up at the relief sculptures in Swan Alley just off Moorgate & wanted an explanation. Maybe you saw Boris Johnson the Mayor of London say that the London Fruit & Wool Exchange could be redeveloped & realised you had no idea of its existence. In that case this is the tour for you to get the answers to these, (until now) mysteries!

What fun we had today with this tour where I took around 25 people. We started with Thomas Gresham the merchant financiar of Elizabethan times, followed this up by talking about the American who set-up a philanthropic housing venture for working class Londoners – who were classified as the “Industrious poor” (don’t worry; they still had to pay rent!)

Then we weaved our way though alleyways & passages to discover stories of the City’s historical ne’er-do-well’s & chaps that deserved the erection of plaques for their stalwart deeds!

We had a great deal of fun finding out about the various diverse characters today. If you would like to join one of these tours please leave your details, day of the week you would be interested in attending & contact details & I will be happy to arrange a tour. I will be in touch very soon.